From: Mary
Date: December 2001
Title: Mystery at St Mary Magdalene
Author: Mary
Category: MSR, SA, H
Spoilers: None
Summary: Mulder and Scully go undercover to an all
girls school
Disclaimer: Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC.
Note: This is my first fanfic so be gentle with me.
I'd appreciate your comments. I must thank my first beta
reader, Evie Whiting, who has helped me a lot! Thanks Evie.
Enjoy!
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Part 1
Mulder and Scully's office.
Monday 8:00 a.m
Mulder was sitting at his desk when the love of his life walked in
looking more tired than usual.
"What's up Scully? You don't look good today." he said walking
straight to her.
"Thanks a lot." she replied sarcastically, trying to avoid Mulder's
hand who deftly put it back again on her forehead to check her
temperature.
"Mulder I said I'm..."
"Fine, yeah, I know, you're always fine wonderwoman. Scully,
Dammit! You still have a temperature. What are you doing here
anyway? We agreed that if you still had a temperature you wouldn't
come to work today."
"I know what we said but ..." Scully paused when the phone rang.
"I'll get it" She was glad to have an excuse to avoid Mulder's
wrath a little bit longer. From the moment they decided to take the
next step, which by the way had been a natural step in their
relationship, he had turn even more possessive than before. She
found it endearing but felt bad for Mulder who was anxious all the
time.
"Yes, We'll be right there." She hung up and looked at him with a
non-too happy expression.
"We have a case?" he asked.
"Yeah, that was Skinner. He wants to see us asap in his office."
she said, not looking him in the eye.
"Look. I know you don't like to stay at home and rest but I think
you should. And don't look at me that way!"
"I'm sorry" she said contritely. "Let's make a deal. We go to the
meeting, see what this case is about and then you take me home.
What do you say?" She had been getting closer little by little and
now was in the process of bringing up the big guns, which she knew
would melt him away. She started poking him in the ribs as the same
time she was pouting and giving him one of her sweet looks, so
precious to him.
"Uhhh.......... Scully" he groaned. "You know what that look does
to me and together with the pout is too much. You really do know
when to bring up the big guns. OOOkay, let's go... But, remember
we have a deal."
She stretched a little and kissed him on the lips. They left the
office together and headed for Skinner's office. Once they got
there Skinner's secretary let them trough. They both realized that
their boss seemed a little bit tense. Well, more than usual.
They were looking at each other, having one of their famous silent
dialogues, when Skinner coughed in order to remind them of his
presence. 'Those two...' he thought. 'How do they do it?'
"Let me tell you something first. I don't have to remind you that
the relationship between the x-files division and the rest of the
bureau is quite tense, don't I?" he stared at them.
"No, sir." they both answered although Mulder was wondering 'what's
new?'
"It has come to my attention a new case that has been sent directly
from my superiors. They think that apparently due to your lack of
effectiveness to close the last cases, you could be of help with
this one."
He handed them a copy of the document. They were starting to go
through the file when, suddenly, Scully asked, "What's this sir?"
At the same time Mulder was whispering "Oh, Oh". He didn't want
to look at Scully because he knew what he would see: fury. Yes,
Scully would be furious at this undercover assignment.
"Sir, please, there must be some kind of confusion. I can't go
undercover like a high school senior student. I don't look young
enough."
When Mulder heard her he was sure he could not only detect anger in
her voice but also sadness. 'Why would Scully be sad?' he wondered.
"Listen Agents, I know this is out of your league, but it should be
fairly simple. Just a case of sexual harassment. You just have to
find who the guy is, which won't be very difficult considering it's
an all girls' school. You, Mulder, will be a PE teacher who's
going to stand in for a Mrs Andrews. I want you to catch this guy
fast. The faster you work, the faster you'll be back in the
basement."
"Is that all sir?" Scully asked with a forlorn look on her face.
"Yes, agents, you're dismissed." Skinner didn't bother to look up.
Mulder put a hand on the small of Scully's back and guided her
toward the elevators. As soon as the doors closed she rested
against Mulder. "Mulder, I can't do this." He held her tightly
and asked, "Why Scully, why are you so upset about this? Tell me."
"It's just..." she started saying when the elevator stopped and a
couple of agents got in. Scully stood up straighter. Once in the
basement, Mulder started again. "Scully please, can you talk to me?"
She was standing with her back to him. "Mulder, you have no idea
what high school was like for me. You know that we used to move
quite often because of my dad's duties and you also know it's not
easy for me to get along with people just like that."
"Yeah, I know." Mulder interrupted. Scully gave him one of her
I-don't-think-it's-time-to mock - looks, which made him look at
her sheepishly.
"Sorry" he said.
"Cutting a long story short, everybody hated me Mulder. I was always
the laughing stock, being red haired, geeky and everything. Please,
Mulder don't make me do it, I'm begging you, please..."
Mulder couldn't decide between laughing at Scully's whining or
comforting her. Seeing that she was really sad, he chose the latter.
"Scully..." he said grabbing her in a bear hug. "I want you to
listen to me, K?" "K"
"I understand what you've told me and you know high school was not
one of the happiest times of my life but this is work, we have to
concentrate on catching that guy. The fastest we catch him, the
fastest we come back. I know that you're also upset 'cause they
chose you for your looks. Hey..." he added, looking at Scully in
the eye and wagging his eyebrows, "I chose you for your looks too."
"Mulder!" she slapped him playfully on the arm. "Come on. You have
to take me shopping." She started gathering her things.
"Shopping? Oh, I know, a cure for depression." he added picking up
his coat.
"No, for the assignment. If I have to look like a seventeen year-old
again, I need to renew my wardrobe."
Mulder had just finished locking the door when he leered at her
and added, "I'm dying to see you wearing a uniform Scully."
"Ask my mum for a picture," she muttered. "On second thoughts,
don't." She sneezed.
Shopping Mall
Monday 3:30 p.m
Scully had been sneezing and sniffing since they left the Hoover
building. "Scully, you promised" Mulder said standing akimbo in
the middle of 'Gappy', one of the most conservative stores in the
mall. "And besides, why are we even looking here? What about the
stores we saw before?"
Scully, who had been perusing the section of ruffle dresses, turned
around, sneezed once more and answered, "I know, I know and as
soon as we finish buying you can take me home, tuck me in bed and
kiss me good night. Is that better?"
"No, but you're right. We have to fly tomorrow and we need to get
everything ready today. Why are we buying here again?" he said
tickling her on the side.
"Mulder!, stop. We are buying here because we are going to a nun's
school. Girls there tend to be more traditional than in other
schools. I can't go there looking like a......like a........ a
streetwalker." she whispered. "What about this one?" She kept
looking through the dresses and skirts.
"Scully! some of those items of clothing you are referring to
didn't look that bad to me. And, besides, I met a couple of girls
from a nun's school and let me tell you, they were NOT traditional
at all. Of course, being Phoebe's friends that's understandable."
"Of course" Scully said sarcastically walking toward the fitting
rooms. A couple of minutes later she emerged looking rather
disgusted at her appearance.
"Oh, Scully, you look adorable!" he was grinning like an idiot.
"I hate being adorable."
"Look Scully, this one looks nice too, and what do you think about
this one? Oh, look at that! A shirt with frills! Isn't it cute?"
She sighed, picked a couple of dresses ad skirts and went to the
cashiers.
"Mulder, I need the... darn! where are you? Mulder!" At that
moment she spotted him talking to an old lady with a pair of
overalls in his hand. She couldn't believe her ears.
"You say she's blonde... Yeah, I think this will suit her."
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Scully. Check these
overalls." He was trying to imagine how they would look on her
when she snatched them out of his hand and put them back on the
shelf.
"Hey!"
"Mulder give me your credit card and let's get out of here."
"I'm paying?! Shouldn't the Bureau pay for these stuff?" Scully
was dragging him toward the cashiers while ordering him to grab
the bags.
Later
Scully's Apartment
Mulder was in the kitchen making Scully a sandwich for dinner.
She had been sleeping since they arrived from the mall and he
knew the flu had affected her stomach as well. She was eating less
than before. He couldn't understand how she could be sated with
just a slice of pizza when he could easily wolf down a whole one
himself.
He was taking the sandwich out of the microwave when he heard her
groaning. 'Probably dreaming' he thought. With the snack on a plate
he walked to Scully's room, peeked through the door and saw her
tossing and turning. He got closer and checked her temperature.
'Still too hot. Must take some medicine again.'
"Scully...Scully..." he shook her shoulder. "Scully wake up, I've
brought you something to eat. Come on..."
"Mmmmm...Mldrrrr..." she slurred. "I don't wanna eat. Not hungry."
"Sorry, but you have to eat so you can take some medicine."
"K"
Mulder had to help her sit up. She was obviously too dazed to do
it on her own. As she was nibbling her sandwich, he fetched the
medicine from the bathroom cabinet.
"Take this."
"But Mulder, this'll knock me out."
"That's the idea. I want you rested for tomorrow. We have a long
day ahead of us. Take It." he insisted.
"Ok.... Arrrg...I hate the flavor it has."
"Here, drink this to wash it down." She gulped it down greedily.
"Good girl" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye when
he patted her head.
"Now, I want you to go back to sleep. Sweet dreams, Scully."
He gently tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. She was
almost asleep but she managed to raise a hand to beckon him and
say one word: "Stay"
'As if I was going to leave you' he thought while retrieving his
pajamas. After changing, he lay down spooned behind her and she
immediately reached for him covering his body with hers.
Part 2
Flight 205
10:30 a.m.
It was cold inside the plane. Scully had been sneezing
for five minutes when she felt Mulder cover her up with
a blanket.
"Thanks Mulder, I was freezing."
"Why didn't you say something?" She just shrugged.
"This medicine doesn't seem to be working, Scully. I
think you should take something stronger."
He was about to go on ranting when he noticed she was
still shivering.
"Still cold?" he asked her rechecking her temperature.
"Yeah" She was trying to get some sleep but, so far,
had been unsuccessful.
"C'mere." She was half laying on him, tucked in a warm
blanket and surrounded by Mulder smell. 'What else could
I ask for?' she thought and made an encouraging sound.
"Mmmmmmm. Just a little TLC and I'll be fine. Stop
worrying Mulder, you'll get wrinkles." He chuckled.
"Scully, you're delirious. Go to sleep."
With that, she closed her eyes and he watched her as
she fell into a peaceful rest. 'It was about time' he
thought.
Same Day
6:30 p.m.
Mulder had been driving around Hillsburg for almost
twenty minutes trying to find the way to the hotel
where they had made reservations the day before. He
had been cursorily checking Scully for any sign of
distress. He was shocked at how much she had been
sleeping lately. 'Must be this flu.' he thought.
After spending ten more minutes navigating through the
quaint little village, he found their hotel.
He parked the car and checked them in. When he got
back, he noticed Scully was still sleeping so he
decided to carry her to the room. Luckily
for him, all the rooms were on the first floor. The
hotel was actually like a row of wooden bungalows, all
beautifully painted. The smell of the surrounding
eucalyptus completed the perfect atmosphere.
He gently deposited Scully on the bed and proceeded to
unpack both his and her luggage. Almost two hours later,
he heard Scully tossing and turning on the bed. He
turned the volume of the TV down and was about to check
on her when she appeared in his room, all rumpled for
bed and rubbing her eyes like a child.
"Feeling better, Scully?"
"Mmmmmhhhhh..." she nodded while sitting astride Mulder
on the bed and putting her arms round him.
"You do look a little bit better. Your fever's lower.
What time do you have to take the antibiotic?"
"At midnighhhhhh..." A yawn interrupted her. "What are
you watching?"
"Nothing in particular. I was just channel-hopping."
"Oh, goody!" With that, she snatched the remote control
and started switching channels until she found something
she liked. 'Oh, no. The Sound of Music, Scully?'
"Oh, I love this movie." she exclaimed setting the
remote control on the comforter. "Do you like it,
Mulder?"
"Aaaa... well...it's a...a nice movie." he concluded.
During the following hour nothing could be heard in the
room, except the sounds of the television and Scully's
yawning. In between 'DO-RE-MI', Mulder decided to check
her temperature. 'Damn! She's still quite warm.
Well, my dear, no school for you tomorrow. I'll write a
note to your teacher.' Chuckling at his own joke, he
fell asleep.
Next Day
St. Mary Magdalene School
8:00 a.m.
It was a beautiful day. Neither too cold, nor too warm.
When Mulder woke up that morning, he found that Scully
was still running a fever.
Actually, she had been in and out of sleep all night so
she obviously wasn't up and about to go to school. She
had put up a small argument about that, which showed how
tired she really was. After finally convincing her that
staying at home one more day was for her benefit, he got
ready himself and drove off.
Now that he was approaching the school, he started having
second thoughts about this. 'Am I ready to do this? All
those teenagers acting hormonal around you. I know how
they act. Scully, you've obviously been out of contact with
teenagers for a long time. What do I know about being a
teacher anyway? Oooh, I should have brushed up on my
self-defense for beginners. Oh well, everything is worth it
just to see Scully wearing a uniform.'
The sight of an impressive building interrupted his musings.
"Oh-My-God."
St. Mary Magdalene could have actually been described as a
French Renaissance monument. It was huge. Everything was
exquisite, from the French glass windows to the carved archways.
The gardens seemed to stretch on forever. Pink roses, all in
bloom delineated the main path.
'Enough gaping. I gotta see the inside of this monument.'
He parked the car at the entrance and a man dressed like a valet,
who was apparently in charge of welcoming people, drove it
toward what looked like a parking area. When he got into the
building he felt as if someone had knocked the air out of him.
And that wasn't an easy task to be accomplished. He had visited
Europe's finest buildings but this one was certainly among the
finest ones he had ever seen.
He was examining a painting on a side wall when he heard someone
calling him.
"Mister Mcleerry? Come this way, please." He heard a young nun
say.
"It's Mcleary. I'm here to see..." The nun interrupted him.
"Yes, I know. You are the new PE teacher standing in for Mrs
Andrews. The Mother Superior is waiting for you. If you will
follow me." She led Mulder through a series of wide hallways.
When they got to an impressive double wooden door, she stopped
and knocked. Another nun, Sister Cecilia, asked them to come into
a small foyer before the actual office. A moment later he heard
another voice. "Do you like art Mr...?" He hadn't realized he was
staring at the paintings. He turned around and, as they were left
alone, introduced himself.
"I'm agent Mulder. And, yes, in fact I love art."
"Oh, how rude of me! I'm the Mother Superior. Thank you for being
here. Please, come into my office." A moment later they were
sitting comfortably in her office, just the two of them.
"I must say I don't know where to start." She started with an
expression of concern.
"Why don't you start telling me what you know about this man that
is harassing the girls? What have the girls told you?"
"Well, that's the problem. We don't know who is doing this, not
even if it's a man." Mulder's interest resurfaced.
"What do you mean?"
"Two months ago, one of the senior students was found in the cellar
of the building with her shirt off and in a state of daze. Our first
suspicion was that she had been using drugs. But nothing could be
ttracedin the medical exam."
"Had she been raped?"
"No. We feared for that but fortunately she wasn't."
"Did she say why she had been there or what she had been doing
before?"
"No. That's also strange. She said she couldn't remember anything,
not even how she had got there. Unfortunately, Claire was not the
only one. A week later Mindy, another senior student, was found
walking dazedly around the small chapel in the same state of undress.
The same thing has happened three times already. To tell you the
truth, I'm scared."
"It's understandable. How are the girls doing now?"
"They are strong girls, Mr Mulder. They have the strength of the
Lord."
"Yeah, but maybe they also need some help from the Earth." They both
chuckled.
"They have been in, well I don't want to call it therapy but,
sessions with Sister Sorrow."
"Sister Sorrow?" he asked with a grin on his face.
"Nuns can also study Mr Mulder." She answered seriously.
He instantly regretted his bad timing.
"That's all I can tell you so far. You can talk to Sister Sorrow, of
course. She is the only one who knows yours and your assistant's
real identity."
"Partner."
"Beg your pardon?"
"She is not my assistant. She is my partner." He emphasized the word
word partner. "Im sorry she is not here today. She is down with
the flu. She'll be here first thing in the morning."
"That's Ok. It will give you one more day to prepare. Sister
Cecilia will show you around and help you in every way she can."
"Thank you Mother Superior. Could you give me a list of the people
that are actually working or living here? That would be very
helpful."
"I'll ask Sister Cecilia to get it ready for you." Whispering close
to him she added, "She can type too, you know."
Blushing, he let Sister Cecilia guide him toward the exercise room.
"Here's the key to the locker that contains all he stuff you're
going to need for your classes." She produced a bronze key and
opened the locker.
"Here." She gave him the key. "You think you know how to use all
these stuff?" 'Are they mocking me or what?' he thought.
"Yeah, I do." He answered patiently.
With that, Sister Cecilia left him alone. "Ok. Let's see what we
have here." No sooner had he taken the first thing in sight, a box,
when everything that was behind it came tumbling down over him.
"F**K!" He could hear all the girls giggling behind him and a
couple of nuns frowning. "Well done, Mulder." he muttered.
Back at the hotel
Same day 6:00 p.m.
When Mulder got back to the hotel, he found Scully getting her
school clothes ready for the following day.
"Damn! I was hoping to find you trying on your uniform."
"Mulder! You scared me! Don't do that!" She looked at him
accusingly while retrieving her clothes from the bed. "Hopefully,
you won't see me in them until tomorrow."
"I guess I'll have to wait then." He sat on the bed and started
removing his tie.
"Patience is a virtue Mulder. Although, in your case, I'm not
sure."
"Scully, I'm offended." With that, he grabbed Scully from behind
using his tie as a makeshift lasso and both fell on the bed.
"Well, Are you going to tell me what happened today or not?" she
asked him resting her elbows on both sides of his head.
"A bunch of nuns kept making fun of me." He whined.
"What?!"
"Never mind. I talked to the Mother Superior and she told me more
or less what we already knew. I also talked to Sister Sorrow an..."
She interrupted him.
"Sister Sorrow?"
"Yeah, Strange name, isn't it? Well, She is the nun who knows our
real identity and she is also in charge of the 'therapy sessions'
with the girls according to the Mother Superior. I also got a list
of the people working and living there. Scully you should see what
the place is like. It's like a Renaissance monument. I couldn't
believe my eyes! It's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever
seen." He took her head between his hands and full of adoration he
told her, "Well, YOU are the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."
"Oh, Mulder." She took his lips in her own and began kissing him
passionately. Every time she kissed this man, she felt as if she
were practically melting. He had been able to fill every little
bit of her heart.
"Mulder, I love you so much it hurts. So much, so much."
She repeated those words each time punctuating them with a kiss.
After spending half an hour making out, they had a light dinner
and went to bed.
Part 3
It had been pelting down non-stop since the night before.
Scully's spirit seemed to agree with this gloomy weather.
Mulder had kissed her before leaving and assured her
everything would be fine but she was still nervous. Now,
as she was about to get to St. Mary Magdalene, her childhood
insecurities were ready to resurface. 'Why do I have to go
through this again after all these years?' She was in deep
thought when, all of a sudden, the impressive building
appeared standing among the trees. 'WOW! Mulder was right.
It is beautiful.' Everything was exactly as Mulder had
described to her. 'Oh, Mulder.' Her thoughts seemed to have
a mind of their own and kept returning to Mulder. 'I have to
restrain myself. I have to pull this off. Will I be able to
do it? Of course I will. After all, I'm an utter professional.
No, I can't do it. It's too much!' A thousand thoughts were
spinning in her mind out of control. She was getting frantic.
"Shut Up!" she shouted to no one.
After what seemed like an eternity, she calmed down, parked
her car and got out. "St. Mary Magdalene, here I come."
St. Mary Magdalene Entrance Hall
The first thing Scully registered on entering the school was
the sweet scent of flowers in bloom, roses to be precise.
Dozens and dozens of pink roses filled vases strategically
positioned around the main hall. Had she been asked to
describe them, she would have said they looked as if they'd
been chiseled by the hands of a genius. Such genius seemed to
be none other than your run of the mill gardener, overalls
and all, who was just picking a couple of rosebuds.
Everything inside the building was equally tasteful.
Mulder had been right on every account.
Scully's sight finally fell upon a bunch of girls who looked
old enough to be at college. She took a glance at her watch
and realized she was early. In that moment one of the girls
approached her and started to ask personal questions while
the others remained seizing her up from a distance. Ten
minutes later the hall was full to the brim with girls of
all ages shouting and hollering waiting for classes to begin.
'One more thirteen-year-old stupid brat pushing me and I'm
out of here.' Scully was so lost in her ruminations that she
failed to notice a pair of green eyes watching her intently
from the teachers' meeting room.
At half past seven a loud bell ringing was heard. All the
students were summoned to group according to age and
subsequently stand in line from shortest to tallest.
Scully knew this ritual by heart. She hoped not to be among
the first ones though, as she used to be in high school.
When everyone was set, she saw a nun motioning her to stand
behind the second girl in her group. 'This must be among
the most embarrassing experiences of my life.' She pretended
to ignore some girls mocking her although she couldn't avoid
hearing the snicker from the girl right behind her. Suddenly
a deep voice was heard. It was the Mother Superior, who
welcomed everybody and started with the morning prayers.
Once done that, she proceeded to introduce the new PE teacher.
"Ladies, I would like to take a minute out of your time to
introduce the new PE teacher. Mr Mcleary will be standing in
for Mrs Andrews who has suddenly fallen ill. I expect you to
show Mr Mcleary the same respect you show Mrs Andrews."
At that, a soft murmur was heard in the hall.
"I welcome you to St. Mary Magdalene, Mr Mcleary."
"Thank you Mother Superior." He found it extremely difficult
to take his eyes out of Scully in a uniform. 'If only you
knew what you're doing to me.'
In that moment Scully heard the girl behind murmuring.
"Oh, You are very welcome Mister Mcleary." As soon as the
words where out of the girl's mouth, Scully's blood started
boiling. She felt like decking her but she had to restrain
her impulses lest she would blow her cover.
'It's going to be a long day.'
Same day
Noon
After having lunch with Lucy, one of the girls in her class,
she headed for the lockers. PE class was next in her schedule
and she wanted to be the first in the gym. She hadn't been so
absent minded as to not notice all the girls ogling the new
teacher. Although she new Mulder would never betray her,
she still felt insecure. It had more to do with her childhood
complexes of being short and ugly and a feeling of being
used by everybody. She didn't want to remember anymore. It
was too painful and it had taken her a long time to recover.
But she had been strong.
The sound of laughter brought her down to earth. It was time
to meet Mr Mcleary.
At the Gym
Mr Mcleary was introducing himself to the class. Of course,
Scully was not paying any attention; she already knew
everything about him. Instead, she was watching closely his
facial assets: those lips begging to be kissed, those
beautiful eyes that could reach the bottom of her soul with
just a look and that hair which was as fine as silk. Suddenly,
the voice that belonged to the aforementioned features
brought her out of her reverie.
"Yes?"
"Could you please come back to Earth and stop thinking about
your boyfriend Miss...?" He was trying hard not to laugh.
"I'm sorry, sir. I am Daisy Mitchell." She was totally
embarrassed he had caught her staring.
"A pleasure to meet you Miss Mitchell. Now, as I was saying,
we are going to start warming up before you begin with your
routines. Come on!"
No sooner had they began exercising when Scully heard Shirley
Valentine, the fatty girl who had the hots for Mulder,
saying: "I would warm up with him anytime." Scully's fury
against this girl rose another notch. 'B**ch' she thought.
Mulder followed her look and had to refrain from bursting out
laughing at what he saw. His partner's eyes were spurting
venom toward Valentine and she was making no effort to conceal
her feelings. He had to put a stop to it.
"All right, everyone, I want you to start with your routines.
I know there's a championship coming so you have to get ready.
Some of you will take the...the..." 'Oh God, what's the name
of that apparatus? Scully save me!'
"Do we all have to exercise in the balance beam or can we
practice in the asymmetric bars too?" Scully's timing had
saved him once more.
"Ahh...yeah, sure, you can take turns in each...apparatus."
He flashed her a big smile. She didn't reciprocate. In fact,
he noticed she was extremely tense. Everybody started to
work out.
"Mr Mcleary, could you show me the backward somersault? I
still have some problems with it." He was trying to find an
excuse when once again his savior butted in.
"I'll show you Mindy. Then you can help me in the balance
beam." This would give her a great opportunity to befriend
Mindy and see if she could find out anything else about the
mysterious harasser. And seeing Mulder needed an outlet, she
was killing two birds with one stone.
Mulder was in awe watching Scully doing somersaults and back
flips as if it were second nature to her. He couldn't take
his eyes off of her. That's how the gym class passed, with
Mulder trying not to overtly ogle Scully and his partner
trying to do her best not to strangle Shirley Valentine.
Five minutes before class break, Mulder was watching Scully
on the asymmetric bars when he noticed she was lost in her
own world staring ahead, grabbing the upper bar. All of a
sudden she got pale and Mulder saw her drop the bar and fall
backwards. She had fainted. He dashed toward her and kneeled
by her side.
"Hey, you! Go get the nurse!" He instructed one of the girls
and began shaking Scully's shoulders.
"Come on! Wake up Dan...Daisy." He had almost let it slip.
"Come on. Hey, are you all right?" He asked as soon as he
saw her looking at him. He released the breath he didn't
know he was holding.
"I'm fine. Just dizzy, that's all." She was getting anxious
by the minute and Mulder's questioning wasn't helping. She
tood up and excused herself.
As soon as she left the gym she heard footsteps behind her.
She knew it was Mulder.
"Scully, what happened?" He took her by the arm but she
deftly released herself.
"Mulder, what do you think you're doing? Are you trying to
blow our cover?" She whispered angrily.
"No. I was just trying to make sure you were fine."
With that, he turned round and strode back to the gym.
"Dammit!" She felt like crying.
Back at the hotel
That evening
Scully was sitting at the table doing her homework.
'I cannot believe I'm doing homework at my age.' She muttered.
She had been trying to concentrate for a while but her
traitorous mind kept getting out of focus. Her thoughts were
a jumble at the moment going from her own feelings to Mulder
and vice versa. He hadn't returned from school and she was
getting ansty.
"Where are you Mulder?" she wondered painfully.
"Here, Scully." She turned round so fast that she fell off
the chair.
"Damn!" He rushed to help her.
"Are you OK? Did you hit your head?" He was checking her
head for bumps.
She didn't answer him. Instead, she got up and started pacing.
"Second time you scare me today! Could you stop doing that?"
"I'm sorry! All right? I didn't mean it." Neither of them
realized that they were almost shouting. There was a long
pause.
"I'm gonna make some dinner."
"I'm not hungry." She sat down with her homework again.
"You're gonna eat, anyway." He sounded determined.
Twenty minutes later he got back to the table with a pot of
steaming noodles. He served a big plate for Scully and
another one for him. He hadn't look at her yet. When he did,
he noticed dry tears in her eyes and her expression was so
forlorn that it made him feel like crying.
"Eat some, please." This time it sounded like the Mulder
she loved. Without noticing, they started discussing the
case as if nothing had happened.
"Three male living there on a permanent basis; the valet,
the gardener and the Chemistry teacher, one Friar Thomas."
"Mulder, I doubt Friar Thomas is responsible for this."
"We can not dismiss anybody on the grounds that he is a
priest."
"You are right. What about the valet?" She was playing
with her food.
"No previous record. He's clean. Although this could be
just a juvenile prank for him. After all, he's just a
teenager himself."
"And the gardener looks old enough to be my grandfather."
"Have you ever heard the expression 'dirty old man',
Scully?" He was grinning and she offered him a small smile
in return.
"Yes Mulder, I have. But that doesn't mean he is strong
enough to subdue a young woman. Did you see what they
look like? They..." She stopped to gauge his reaction and
she noticed he was grinning.
"Of course you looked at them." She muttered.
"Hey! What does that mean?" He got serious.
"Nothing Mulder. I'm sorry. It's just that... THIS CASE
SUCKS!" She finished her tirade punching the table.
Mulder saw how tense she was again, stood up behind her
and started massaging her shoulders.
"Scully, calm down. It's ok. You have to relax." He was
kissing her neck.
"Besides, No one, and I repeat, no one will ever be any
competition to you. You are not my number one." At that,
she turned round. Taking her head in his hands he claimed,
"You are the only one."
"Oh Mulder." Kiss "I'm sorry." Kiss "You are my only
one too." Kiss
"She just kept pulling my chain and I..."
"She was not pulling your chain, Scully." She just nodded
and hugged him.
"I'm sorry about today, I mean everything."
"What happened Scully, why did you faint?" He sat her in
his lap.
"Low pressure Mulder. Nothing else."
He knew there was something she was not telling him but
he decided not to push her.
"Where the heck did you learn to do that, Scully?!
You were awesome!"
"I was three times junior champion in my school." She
boasted.
"Well, It came in handy today. Thank you for saving
my butt." He held her closer.
"You're very welcome Mister Mcleary." She was about to
kiss him when she made a sour face, like tasting a lemon.
"Agrrrr. That reminds me of Shirley Valentine. Who would
name their child with a name like that, Mulder?"
She was now walking toward the closet in the bedroom.
"I really don't know." She began perusing her clothes.
"Going somewhere, Scully?"
"As a matter of fact, I am." His face fell.
"You're joking, right?"
"No, Mulder. The girls decided to go dancing tonight and
I personally think it's a wonderful idea to see if I can
learn anything new." She was checking a blue printed dress.
"Scully, You can't."
"Why not?"
"What if a guy makes a pass at you? What if...?" He was
getting anxious.
"Muldeeeer." She took his head in her hands and kissed him.
"I can
take care of myself. Besides, Don't you trust me?"
"You know I trust you. I don't trust them. They are
teenagers. They have only one thing in their heads."
"Oh. And what would that be?" She asked faking ignorance.
"Scullyyyy."
"Mulder, help me find something to wear, will you?"
"How about a habit?" He mumbled. He looked like a lost
puppy. She couldn't help kissing him again.
Part 4
It was too lonely without Scully. She had been gone no more
than half an hour and he already missed her. Mulder had been
sitting at the dining-room table trying to make head or tail
of the case. So far, he'd been unsuccessful. That's why he
decided to check with the
Gunmen. 'Maybe they'll have more luck than me. Everything is
better than thinking about Scully in that bar, probably
being ogled by horny
teenagers.'
A loud beep brought him out of his musings. The face of
Fohicke appeared on Mulder's laptop screen.
"Hiya, buddy. Long time no see. What's up?"
"Always the cheerful one, aren't you?"
"Hacking into the CDC always cheers me up."
"Been pretty bored lately?"
"Hey, I gotta do something with Byers and Langley out of
town. Just keeping the seat warm for them. Speaking of
'heat'" he lowered his voice and wagging his eyebrows he
asked, "Is the lovely agent Scully around?"
"Down, Frohicke!" It'd sounded louder than he meant.
"Ok, buddy. Trouble on the land of Cupid?"
"Frohicke, how many times do I have to remind you that our
love life is not your business?" This time, he sounded
more amicable.
"I got it. Lovers' spat." Mulder chuckled.
"You won't give up, will you?"
"I'm alive. There's still hope."
"In your dreams, Frohicke." He made a pause. "She's out
clubbing." He explained almost gloomily.
"You're kidding, right." It was more of a statement than
a question.
"I thought you kept her on a leash." Fohicke's eyes seemed
to be popping out of the screen which made Mulder chuckle.
"She's not a dog, Fohicke. Anyway, Can we get down to
business?"
"All right, all right. What do you have for me?"
"I'm faxing you a list of names. I want you to find out
everything you can about them, specially if they have any
previous police records."
"It's incoming." Frohicke's image went off screen and only
his voice could be heard. "What's the case about?"
"Sexual harassment. We're working undercover in a nun's
school." In a flash, Frohicke's face came into view.
"Don 't say it, Frohicke." Mulder knew he was going to make
some risque comment about Scully in a uniform.
"Fine. I'll get back to you as soon as my magic fingers do
the trick. Hey!" He added as an afterthought, "Don't get that
sicko get close to our G-woman."
"Over my dead body, Frohicke. Over my dead body." He logged
off and got down to work. At least, that was what he
expected. But thoughts of 'any Fabio' hitting on Scully kept
popping in his mind. He could picture it clearly: blond hair,
blue eyes, tall and brawny and, to top it all off, only twenty
years old. The prime of his age.
He was too anxious to work. Besides, curiosity was eating
him up. He had to do something.
'No one is going to check out My Scully.'
Blue Moon, Pub&Dance
10:00 p.m.
The Blue Moon was a regular kind of bar. Not too modern, not
too old. Mulder couldn't remember the last time he'd been in
a place like that just for fun. All in all, the atmosphere
was the same: eager boys trying to pick up girls, who didn't
want to seem too conspicuous checking out the boys. The only
thing that was different was the music.
'I wonder were Scully is. She must be dancing with a hunk.
God! I'm such a masochist! I should just leave.' It was in
that moment when a vision in blue caught his eye. She was
wearing the printed dress they had picked out before and
which made her look like an angel, an eighteen year old
angel. No wonder she had all the boys salivating. Her hair
was swept backwards with a headband and she was sporting
sandals with almost non-existent heels.
He was about to take a step forward when he saw her turning
round. He couldn't be sure if she'd seen him, but just in
case he hid behind a column. He saw her, then, approaching
the bar counter. From his position, he could not only see
her but also hear partially what they were saying.
"I'd like a beer, please." She asked the bartender.
'What is she doing? She doesn't even like beer.' Mulder
thought. The bartender simply looked at her and asked
something smiling smugly.
"Excuse me?!" She looked royally pissed now.
'What did that bastard ask you, Scully?' Mulder was
perfunctorily balling his fists.
"Look, I know all yer tricks, gals. Just show me some
ID, Ok?"
'Oh my God. This is too rich. Too bad I can't mock her
about it.' Mulder snickered. He saw the bartender stretch
his hand seemingly waiting for the ID.
Meanwhile, Scully was fuming. She knew her ID showed Daisy
was only seventeen and she wasn't willing to be embarrassed
any longer. So, she asked for a diet soda while the man
behind the counter was doing his best not to burst out
laughing. So was Mulder. He'd been so distracted watching
Scully that he failed to notice a bunch of girls giggling
and gossiping behind his back.
'Oh, Oh. I think I've been caught.'
"Mr Mcleary?" asked one of them.
"Hi, girls." Luckily for him the place was dark enough to
hide his embarrassment.
"What are you doing here, Mr Mcleary?"
"Ah...ah...I ah...I'm ah..."
"Isn't it a bit early for you to be here? People your age
come after midnight or don't come at all." one of them
mentioned.
"I'm glad you're here, Mr Mcleary. Girls our age prefer
mature men, you know." Shirley Valentine commented in a too
sultry voice.
In that moment one of the bouncers he had seen at the door
came to him and asked in a baritone voice, "Are you looking
for your daughter?"
"Do you have a daughter, Mr Mcleary?"
He was getting pissed. 'Do I look old enough to be the
father of a teenager?' They were all waiting for his answer.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am. She is somewhere here."
He pretended to be looking for her.
"Well, there's a V.I.P room upstairs. You can wait there
if you wish."
"Thanks, I will." The bouncer went on with his chores.
"What's your daughter's name?" The girls' curiosity seemed
to be bottomless.
"Da... Dana." He stuttered nervously.
"What does she look like?"
"She's a...red-haired and short." His mind was congratulating
him on his originality.
"Just like Daisy."
"Yeah...just like Daisy." He coughed. "Well, I'll see you
at school, girls."
"Bye Mr Mcleary."
'Busted by my good timing again.'
He climbed upstairs trying to avoid being recognized by
more people. When he got to the V.I.P room, he spotted an
armchair by a balcony overlooking the dancing floor.
'Perfect. I'll be able to keep an eye on Scully without
interruptions.' As if on cue, he was sidetracked by
a woman in her fifties who began ranting about her baby
daughter; according to her, a flesh and blood Barbie.
On hearing her name, he almost spat his drink. Barbie girl
turned out to be none other than Shirley Valentine.
'Scully must be thrilled.'
He had to bear twenty minutes of non-stop Barbie comments.
He was about to throttle the woman when a man, apparently
her husband, took her away. 'Thank God!' He spent the
following thirty minutes watching Scully chat and dance
with some geeky teenagers with dimples. 'Is that what I was
so worried about?' His smile faded when he saw a Fabio
looking guy trying to make Scully slow-dance with him.
And apparently she was enjoying it!
'I swear if he lays one of his paws on her, I'm gonna...
I'm...' He was speechless. Scully was having fun!
He was debating whether or not to leave when he saw her
turn around, look at him in the eye and wink.
'I don't believe it! She has been fooling with me .
She wants me to raise to the bait. Forget it, Scully.
You can go on dancing with Fabio all you wish. I'm outta
here.'
She was still looking at him. So, he took the chance to
wave and discreetly blow her a kiss. After that, he
departed leaving behind an open mouthed Scully.
Hillsburg Inn
Same Night 1:00 a.m.
Mulder had been pacing for forty five minutes telling
himself he was up just reviewing the case, when deep inside
he knew he was waiting for Scully. He picked up her notebook
where she kept all her case notes written in her neat
lettering. He was scanning the pages when he saw a flicker
of light reflecting on the window pane and heard the sound
of an engine coming to a stop. 'Must be Scully. Gotta run.'
He literally jumped into the bed and crawled under the
covers. 'Good, Mulder. I don't think Scully's heard you.
Why don't you make some more noise?'
A sudden draft signaled her presence in the room. A minute
later he heard her locking the door.
'Pretend you're sleeping. Pretend you're sleeping.'
Just then, he felt a dip in the mattress and two arms
snaking around his neck brought the classic Scully smell
up to his nostrils. He had to struggle hard to play possum,
even more when her lips began caressing his ear. 'Keep
still, Mulder. Play dumb.' He was trying to decide whether
or not to pretend she had woken him up, when she whispered,
"Mulderrrr?.....Are you awake?" She got no response.
"Mulderrrrr?...Oh well, I was planning to tell you all about
Rob and maybe making out a little. Too bad. We'll do both
things tomorrow." She turned around and counted up to three.
'One, two, thr...'
"Scully, Who's Rob?"
"Did I wake you? I'm sorry, Mulder." She wasn't sorry at all.
In fact, she looked downright mad.
"I just lay down a couple of minutes ago. Now, Who's Rob?"
"A guy I met at the Blue Moon, Mulder. Want to know something
funny? He looks exactly like you. He was even wearing the
same clothes you own. Spooky, isn't it?" She was on the verge
of blowing a gasket.
"What the hell were you doing there, Mulder?!!! You could
have blown our cover and ruin everything!!!" She was pacing
around the room looking somewhere past him to avoid being
dragged into his puppy looking eyes.
He knew she was right but she was overdoing it a little.
"And What were you thinking when you blew me a kiss?!!!
Anybody could have seen you!!!"
"What about you?" He sat up straight.
"What about me?"
"You winked at me, Scully! Have you forgotten about that?
Besides, I think that's not the point here, is it?"
"No, You are right. It isn't. It all comes down to a matter
of trust, again." She lowered her voice. "Mulder, why can't
you trust me?"
He stretched his hand in invitation and when she took more
than a second to comply, his heart almost broke. However,
he felt relieved when she decided to sit on his lap, like
they regularly did when they were in cuddly mood.
"I told you I trust you, Scully. Only you. But I have a
problem when it comes to...the rest of the world, I guess."
She smiled.
"I don't know why. Maybe it's because of my own insecurities.
But when somebody looks at you or touches you like Fabio
tonight, I..."
"Fabio?" She interrupted.
"Yeah, the guy you were dancing with, blond hair and blue
eyes?"
"Ah, now I see." She was stroking his chest while he was
doing the same with her hair.
"Anyway, It's like..." She raised her head from his chest
and looked at him in the eye. Sometimes she felt she could
get lost in them and at the same time she could get to the
core of his soul. But this time, she saw sadness pouring out
of them, so much so that she felt tears welling up in her
own eyes.
"It's like you feel you are not enough for me; that I would
be better with somebody else and you cannot understand why I
stay with you."
He couldn't speak. He knew he would cry if he did so.
"Mulder, I'm going to tell you something and I want you to
listen to me. I want you to imprint what I'm going to tell you
in your soul." She held his face in her hand.
"What I feel for you cannot be put into words. What I feel is
so deep that burns inside me. I cannot and do not want to live
without you. You are my life, Mulder, my driving force. My
light. My everything. I-am-you for I cannot-live-without-you."
When she finished talking she noticed the dampness in her
cheeks and saw the same reflected in Mulder's. But she also
saw the love in his face, which she knew mirrored her own.
"Scully, if my love for you were light, there would be no need
of suns in the universe."
"Oh, Mulder." She was openly sobbing now. They were clinging
to each other so tightly that nobody would have been able to
place even a pin between them.
After a while, they both fell asleep in the same position.
Next Day
St. Mary Magdalene 12:30 p.m.
The bell had been ringing for a minute. The girls were
streaming out of class heading for the lunchroom which was
on the first floor. Scully was walking down the stairs when
she heard a commotion coming from the floor below. Near an
indoors patio a great bunch of girls were crammed in front
of the restrooms door trying, unsuccessfully, to catch a
glimpse of what was going on inside. What immediately caught
Scully's eye was two officers keeping guard, hiding things
from prying eyes. She could also hear some voices, one of
which she could easily identify. She found herself rooted to
the first rung of the stairs. A wave of panic took hold of
her.
'This can't be happening. Not again. Not when I have
finally put it behind.' So lost in thought was she that she
failed to notice Mulder looking at her from the restrooms.
When he saw her he realized something was wrong.
'Damn Scully, what's going on with you? Why can't you tell
me?'
Scully, meanwhile, was getting paler and nauseous. She
managed to get out of her stupor and dashed toward the
closest bathroom, determined not to make a fool of herself
in front of everybody.
Mulder dashed behind and found her vomiting in a small
restroom by the swimming pool.
"Scully, are you all right? And don't tell me you're fine."
He kneeled by her side.
"No, I'm not fine. Mulder, I promise to let you know but
not now. Anybody could see you."
"I don't care. One of my students was feeling bad and I
decided to check up on her." He handed her some tissues.
"I feel better now, honest." She turned on the faucet and
washed her face.
"Scully...please, tell me."
"It has nothing to do with being sick. It's about something
that happened to me a long time ago. I promise to tell you
everything tonight. Not here, Mulder." He didn't press the
issue. He knew she was not ready to talk and, besides, she
was right. If anybody saw them there, it would make matters
worse.
"What happened, Mulder?" He made a pause, not sure if he
should tell her.
"They found Shirley unconscious near the wash basins. Same
MO as the others. Except this time they discovered something
else."
"What, Mulder?"
"A puncture of some kind on her left palm."
"Is she OK?"
"She will be. They are taking her to the hospital now."
"Good."
"Scully, I gotta go." He was reluctant to leave her. "Are
you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, Mulder. I'm sure. Now, go. I'm gonna wait five more
minutes after you leave."
"Ok" He was about to open the door when he turned around
and give her a peck. After that he disappeared. "Mulder!"
Deep inside she was smiling.
Hillsburg Inn
7:30 p.m.
This time when he opened the door he didn't find her amongst
books or doing her homework. She was sprawled in bed, a quilt
on her legs and remote control in hand. It was obvious she
wasn't paying attention to what she was watching. She was
gazing somewhere out of the window.
He always relished looking at her. She was a sight for his
sore eyes, a beauty. 'My angel'
"Hey, angel." He whispered so as not to startle her.
"Mulder! Sorry, I didn't hear you." He saw she had been
crying, her dry tears were like neon lights beckoning him.
She sat still, silent. He lay down and engulfed her in his
arms. She didn't resist. In fact, she sat on his lap without
further persuasion. He knew she was ready to talk.
"It happened when I was in my senior year of High School.
It was also a beautiful nun's school, like this one but not
so big. Once, the Mother Superior told us that even though
some nuns were strong, they didn't have men's strength.
They were in need of someone to help them with the rough
physical work so they hired a young man. Mr Rasser
seemed to be a good man. He helped the nuns doing all kind
of hard work they weren't able to do. Some of the girls had
a crush on him, he was only 25 at the time...I guess."
She made a pause. "After a while, he started flirting with
the girls, specially with one of my friends: Lucy Mckintosh.
He began with risque comments and then, he got physical. He
used to pat the girls in the butt and kiss them in the neck.
Of course, for the girls he was completely charming and sold
each of them a story about being in love with them. Lucy
bought it. I finally talked her out of meeting him in the
gym after hours and promised myself to talk to the Mother
Superior. However..." He heard a sob. He imagined what he
was going to tell him and knew she wouldn't be the only one
sobbing soon.
"He...He found out somehow and got me when the gym class
was over. He pushed me inside the gym room where they used
to keep the equipment and kicked the door closed. Luckily,
he failed but didn't notice it. I started punching and
kicking but he was stronger than me. He looked at me and
said: 'You are a bi**h, maybe you talked your friend out
of it 'cause you wanted some for yourself. I'm going to
give you something you won't forget.' After that he began
fondling my breasts. He could only use one hand 'cause he
was covering my mouth with the other; but that didn't stop
him from grinding against me. I was so scared." She
broke down and began crying in earnest. Mulder had began
weeping too.
"Scully, tell me he didn't...he didn't..." He couldn't say it.
"He didn't, Mulder. A girl was walking by and heard me
whimpering. Two minutes later a couple of nuns opened the
door and found me on the floor in a similar state these girls
were in. He fled as soon as he heard voices. I don't know how
he got away. There must have been a window or another door in
the room. They took me to the infirmary and called my mom."
"Did you tell them about Rasser?"
"I couldn't at first but then my mom persuaded me to do it.
Besides, I didn't want any other girl to go through the same."
"Oh, Scully. You are so selfless."
"He told me he would come back and finish the job, Mulder.
No matter what."
"Scully, you should have told me. I would have refused the
assignment, made an excuse, I don't know, whatever."
"No, Mulder. This is my job. I knew I had to face this some
day. I think it's an opportunity to find some closure and if
I catch the one who's doing this, it'll give me some kind of
justice."
"Now I see why you were reluctant to accept this case."
"Mulder, stop!" She knew he was feeling guilty.
It was amazing how they could read each other's thoughts and
feel each other's emotions.
"Mulder this is in no way your fault." She made him look at
her.
"Mulder, No!"
"But Scully, I knew something was upsetting you, I knew
something was wrong."
"Then, It's my fault for not telling you sooner."
"Promise me we'll tell each other everything Scully.
Promise me!"
"Promise, Mulder." It was a promised sealed with a kiss.
Later that night
Mulder was aware he was not going to be able to sleep. The
fury he felt inside against the man who had tried to abuse
Scully was consuming him. Someone had dared touch his Scully.
And someone had to pay.
He sat at the table and switched on his computer. He wanted
to check on any information Frohicke could've found and it
was also a good opportunity to find anything about this
bastard Rasser. As soon as he logged in, he saw a message
from Frohicke. He had to wait a few minutes till the
connection was successful and his friend's face appeared on
screen.
"Hey Bro, I got the latest."
"Shh, Frohicke. Try to keep it down. I don't wanna wake
Scully."
"The babe taking the beauty sleep?"
"Give me what you have Fro. I'm not in the mood."
"I haven't got much buddy. Just a little something I rather
you see for yourself. I'm sending you a copy of the report
with the information as we talk."
"Got it. I need to ask you a favor."
"Shoot."
"I need you to see if you can find anything on a Mr Rasser.
R-A-S..." He was interrupted by Frohicke.
"Mulder, Just check the information first." Something in
his friend's voice told him he was going to find what he was
looking for there.
"All right. Thanks, Frohicke." With that, he logged off, too
worried to think about his manners.
He hadn't even reached the tenth line of the document when
he found what he was looking for. She had indeed reported
Mr Rasser. She had the right to know what he had found,
specially after the promise. 'But I can't tell her. Not if I
want her to concentrate on the case instead on that bastard.
I'm sorry Scully.'
4:45 a.m.
He had dozed off a little after four but the sound of
whimpering woke him up. It was Scully. She was apparently
having a nightmare. It was easy to imagine what she was
dreaming about.
"Shh, it's all right. Shhh." He stayed with her until she
calmed down and slept until sunrise.
Part 5
School Gym
2:00 p.m.
Mulder knew she was a nervous wreck. He had been catching
glimpses of her between classes and what he saw was not
good, not at all. She was completely absent minded in one
moment and checking behind her back in the next. He felt
relived he hadn't told her what he had found out about Mr
Vert. Now he watched her sitting on the mat forcing herself
to concentrate.
"OK. We are going to continue with self defense techniques.
As I commented before, self defense should be a very
important aspect of any PE course. But remember that it is
equally important to avoid violence. No matter what. Now, I
want two of you to stand up and show me what you've learned
so far." He pretended to be looking around just to pick
someone when he had already selected his students. At least
one of them. 'I hope this helps you clear your mind a little.'
"O'Malley and Mitchell. Come on." Scully uncertainly stood up
and took position. She noticed how her palms were sweating and
willed herself to focus.
"Lucy, I want you to pretend you're about to attack her from
behind her back. All right?" Both Lucy and Scully nodded
although the latter was aware she couldn't remember a thing in
that moment. Therefore, she failed miserably at accomplishing
her goal: defend herself.
"It's ok. We're gonna do it again. Hey Mitchell..." He looked
at her and forced a smile. "Try to relax. You're too tense."
'I wonder why.' Scully mumbled.
They tried the same over and over again, each time Scully
forcing herself even to the point of exhaustion.
'Damn! This can't be happening. This is for babies. I should
be able to do it with one hand and my eyes closed.' All of a
sudden she realized everybody was watching her. She felt out
of breath and Shirley's snigger was getting on her nerves so
much so she was sure she was about to suffer a nervous
breakdown. It was time to flee. She turned round and rushed
out of the room.
"Practice the same routine in pairs. I'll be right back."
Mulder was already running behind her.
Meanwhile, Scully was heading for the gardens.
'I need some fresh air or I'm gonna lose it right here and
now.' She left the building and dashed through the rose
gardens. They were elaborated in the shape of an intricate
labyrinth. Scully's eyes fell upon the pink roses, the same
ones she'd admired when entering St Mary Magdalene for the
first time. They seemed too perfect, if such thing existed.
She stopped for a second to smell the roses. There was
something special in the smell too; it was too sweet.
"Admiring my creation?" a rough voice asked her.
"I'm sorry. I kinda got lost."
"It's all right. I love it when you, girls, come visit my
roses. Makes one feel appreciated." She forced a smile.
There was something odd in Mr Vert. His eyes seemed to
shine with an evil glitter and with a single rose in his
hand he looked more like an obscure character from a terror
movie than a gardener. He was getting closer, offering the
rose and smiling enigmatically.
"I have to go, Mr Vert. I have a cl..."
"Just accept this as a token from a friend. Of course, In no
way does it match your beauty."
"The way you talk, it's like...it's..." He put the rose in
her hand and close her fist. In that same moment she heard
his warning.
"Watch out for thorns on the roses, they might prick you."
Indeed, she felt a small jab in her little finger and
understood then that it was too late to get away. Despite
being dizzy, she realized she'd been drugged. Unluckily,
there was not much she could do. But she was a Scully;
she would go down with a fight or die trying.
"You look pale. You'd better lie down. Let me help you."
Scully felt a cold shiver in her spine.
"I-know-what-you're-doing." She wheezed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Shhh. Relax, Mr
Vert will make you fell better."
With her last breath she whispered, "I'm...Fb..." and
then passed out.
"Well, well, well. You are certainly a fine specimen.
Don't worry, I just wanna look and touch a little."
Five minutes had passed and Mulder was frantic. He had
seen her heading for the gardens but when he got there he
had already lost her.
'Damn roses, I can't see a thing in this gard..." He stop
short when he went over his words.
"Oh, SH*T!!! Vert must be there. If he finds you like
that... No, no, no, no, no, Scully. I'm gonna find you."
He went into the labyrinth and soon got lost.
"F*ck! Think, think, think."
In that moment he felt as if she were calling him and he
followed her voice. 'Mulder, Help!!!'
"Scully!!! Scully!!! I'm coming!!!" He didn't care about
his cover any longer.
Mr Vert had proceeded unbuttoning her shirt and was in
the process of taking her jumper off when he heard someone
shouting. 'Scully!!!'
"Damn!!! Well, I can't finish the job. Bye red, see you
some other time."
When Mulder found Scully, Mr vert had already disappeared.
He gently rearranged her clothes and picked her up.
"It's all right angel, you're gonna be fine."
At the Hospital
6:15 p.m.
Mulder was dutifully waiting by her wife's bed. She had
been in and out of consciousness barely able to recognize
him. The drug Vert had administered her was a concoction
the doctors hadn't been able to identify yet. That's why,
she had to be under observation for the next 24 hours.
He was eating sunflower seeds when he noticed her moaning.
"Hey, Sweetheart."
"Mulder? Where am I?" He kissed her forehead.
"You're at the hospital. You were unconscious when I
found you."
"Oh my G..." She was on the verge of crying.
"Shh, Scully, it's ok. He didn't touch you."
"Did you catch him?"
"No, he must've gotten away when he heard me calling
for you."
He dried a lonely tear that was perched atop her lip but
soon others followed. He rose from his chair and climbed
into bed to hug her. After a while she lay back on the bed.
"What aren't you telling me, Mulder?"
He was biting his lip as he always did when he was about
to tell her something she most probably wouldn't like
to hear.
"Mulder?"
"Scully, I know you won't like what I'm about to tell you.
Two days ago Frohicke faxed me some information I had
asked him about our suspects. I learnt something
interesting about Mr Vert. By the way, did you know that
Vert's first, middle and last name start with P, E and R
respectively? Mr P.E.R.Vert, pervert. Funny, isn't it?"
He was trying to use humor to diffuse the tension in
the room.
"Anyway, When he sent me Mr Vert's records, I discovered
his nephew had been charged with sexual harassment before
but was now at large."
"What does this have to do with...?
"I'm getting there, Scully. When you told me what had
happened to you in High School you mentioned the guy's
name: Rasser. That's the same name I found listed as Vert's
nephew. H. A. Rasser, harasser. I think it runs in the
family." She sat up straight.
"You knew this and you didn't tell me?" It sounded more
like a statement instead of a question.
"I was trying to pro..."
"Save it, Mulder."
"But Scully, You know I wa..."
"Don't, Mulder!" She was gazing out of the window.
"Look at me, Scully!"
"How could you do it after what we promised?" She
whispered and folded her hands on her lap.
It was he who couldn't look at her in the eye now.
He knew he had hurt her and was determined to do
anything to ingratiate himself with her.
"I need to be alone for a while." She shifted under the
covers to find a comfortable position.
"Scully, please..." His voiced cracked with pain.
She turned round and closed her eyes. The last thing she
heard was the door being slammed.
Aboard Flight 502
Next Day 12:30 p.m.
They hadn't exchanged a word since yesterday when he
told her about Rasser. He had tried to make her talk but
had been unlucky. He could feel pain eating him inside.
He hated when they fought. Fortunately, their rows had
been few and scattered over the years. Now, flying home,
Mulder prayed to be forgiven. He had tried to hold her
hand during takeoff but she had simply kept her arms
folded.
'Fine. Have it your way, Scully.' He knew he didn't have
the right to be pissed but her stubbornness was out of
proportion. After all, he had only concealed the
information to protect her. When the plane touched down,
they quickly claimed their bags and proceeded to the
exit gate.
"I'm gonna call a cab and go home." It was easy to read
between the lines. She was going home alone.
"Scully, come on! You can't..." The way she was looking
at him he knew it was wiser not to push the issue.
"All right. I'll see you...sometime."
He flagged a cab down and opened the door for her. She
got in and made the mistake of looking up. He looked
totally devastated.
She spent the whole way home crying.
Georgetown
8:00 p.m.
After getting home, she soaked in a bubble bath hoping to
relieve her tension. Having done that, she made herself a
cup of tea and lay down on the sofa. It was useless, she
wouldn't find peace unless she made up with Mulder.
'Damn, why can't I be without him for just a while?' She
laughed humorlessly. 'I'm gonna pick you up, Mulder and
this time, we're going to talk.'
She changed back into her low-slung jeans and chose one
of Mulder's t-shirts from his drawer. She took her
cellphone and some money and locked the door.
On route to Georgetown
8:35
'Damn, Scully. If you think for one minute I'm gonna
leave you alone, then you don't know me at all.'
He sped through Georgetown streets till he got to her
building. After parking the car, he hastily climbed the
stairs, two steps at a time. He waited at the door for a
full minute before gathering the courage to knock.
"Scully, it's me, Mulder." Nothing.
"Scully, are you there?" No reply. Fearing the worst, he
used the key and let himself in.
"Scully, it's Mulder." He first checked the bathroom and
then the bedroom. Nothing. Scully was nowhere to be seen.
He took his cellphone from his jacket pocket and dialed
her number.
"Come on, come on, pick up the phone..." On the fifth
ring he heard her voice.
"Mulder?" Sniff.
"Scully, where are you?"
"I'm in Arlington, waiting for you. Where are you?"
"I'm in Georgetown, Scully. I...I wanted to talk to you."
"We are pathetic, Mulder." He chuckled.
"I'm on my way. Wait for me, Scully."
"Always." She whispered and hung up.
Arlington
9:05
Scully was sitting on the floor in front of apartment 42
when she heard the characteristic bing of the elevator.
In a flash he was by her side and he held her up as if
he were carrying a child.
"I'm sorry, Mulder. I'm so stubborn sometimes that I let
my pride get in the way between us."
"No, Scully, you were right. I did break our promise."
They were both kissing and hugging each other at the
same time.
"Can we discuss this inside?"
"Sure, but what are you doing outside?"
"I left my keys on the table." She muttered.
He unlocked the door and stepped in, still carrying
Scully who was hugging him for dear life. After managing
to lock again, he sat them down on the couch, Scully on
his lap.
"Are we ok Scully?"
"Yes, Mulder. We're fine."
"Thank God. I was worried you wouldn't talk to me again
or leave me."
"Mulder, you know I would never do such thing."
"What, stop talking to me or leave me?"
"Mulder stop using humor as a shield!"
"I'm sorry."
They remained silent for a while.
"Mulder, I know you were trying to protect me. And I would
be a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't do the same thing for
you. But we have to try and not keep things from each other,
no matter how much they may hurt. In the long run, learning
about things afterwards is definitely going to hurt more."
"You're right, Scully. Let's change our promise then. Let's
promise we'll try, ok?"
"OK" They finally kissed releasing all the pent-up anxiety
and frustration.
"I missed you so much."
"Me too."
"Don't do that again to me, Scully. Don't shut me out."
"I won't, Mulder. Believe me."
"I do, I believe you."
After dozing off for a while Scully asked, "Did you learn
anything else about Vert?"
"Just that there's an APB out for him. They are gonna find
him, sooner or later. You don't have to worry about a thing."
He whispered.
"He did it good, didn't he?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, If not for the fact that you were following me,
nobody would have ever found out. He was pretty ingenious
after all. Stealing drugs from the school lab and
preparing a concoction that he would eventually introduce
in the roses and later pricking the girls. That way he
made sure no one would know it had been him."
"Yeah, but the girls must have known he was the last
person to be in contact with them."
"No, They didn't. He...he kind of hypnotized them using
his voice. I could only get to hear his voice before
fainting but I assure you that's what he was trying to do
and I have no clue how."
"I've heard of hypnotists who used to administer drugs to
some patients to make them more submissive. Maybe that was
the case."
"Maybe. But we'll never know unless we find him."
Sneeze.
"I thought you had gotten rid of that flu, Scully."
"I thought so too. Apparently the virus has some other
id...Atchoo! ...eas."
"Let me bring you the antibiotic. You put it in my bag,
didn,t you?"
"Yeah, I think so."
He came back from the bedroom, pink bottle in hand.
"Here, Scully. Why don't you...don't you..." He was trying
hard not to sneeze.
ATCHOO!!!
"I think you should take it too, Mulder. Come on. Let's
go to bed."
They had both taken the medicine and were now comfortably
ensconced in bed facing each other.
"Mulder, There's something else I need to tell you."
"You brought back the uniform with you."
"No, Mulder. I didn't. I want you to come with me to the
doctor's tomorrow."
"Sure, Scully. You don't have to ask. Anyway, I thought
it was just the flu. If not that, then what?" She made a
pause a then grinned.
"I think I might be pregnant."
THE END (for now)
Wait for the sequel. It's coming.